Secrets of John
by Lastsyns
Summary: When the Doctor uses the Chameleon Arch to become John and escape from his destiny, he finds himself working for Jack at Torchwood. Now can Jack uncover why the Doctor is in hiding. Mature for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

_-This story idea was given to me by Reina Komatsu-_

* * *

Jack sat alone in a small bar in Cardiff drinking a pint. His back and feet were aching from a long day of chasing down weevils. The Weevil population had grown exponentially the last few years and they were now causing a problem for the citizens of Wales. He groaned as he phone vibrated in his pocket rather then answering it, he reached into his pocket and turned the phone off. He had all ready been killed three times today and really didn't feel like adding a fourth to his total.

It was times like this that he missed Ianto the most. Ianto had always made the deaths easier and he hoped that he had been able to comfort Ianto in his dying hour. Ianto didn't think he would be remembered in a thousand years but Jack knew in his heart that it didn't matter how many years passed, Ianto would always be with him. Ianto had been the only man that he had ever truly loved besides the Doctor and he didn't think he would ever see the Doctor again either. He finished off his pint and ordered a another one.

"One, please," He heard a familiar voice say and he shot up so quickly that he nearly feel off of his stool. He turned to see a man standing at the end of the bar. The man was wearing black jeans and a blue t-shirt. His hair was brushed down but the face was unmistakable, it was the Doctor. Jack stood up and walked casually over to his side.

"Hello Doctor," He said happily. The Doctor didn't answer as he paid for his drink and started to turn and head towards one of the tables. "Doctor, it's me Jack."

The Doctor turned and looked at him and Jack saw the confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I think you have me mistaken for someone else," he grinned. "I just arrived in Cardiff yesterday, name's John."

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack answered offering his hand and taking John's hand firmly in his and shook it. "I'm drinking alone tonight, care to join me?" The Doctor nodded eagerly and followed Jack back to his place at the bar.

"So John, what bring's you to Cardiff," He asked slightly amused and also very confused. Jack was positive that this man was the Doctor. He looked like, walked and even talked like the Doctor. Yet if he was acting as if he didn't know Jack, he was doing a very convincing job.

"I am just traveling around before I head back to London." John answered. "You?"

"Oh, I live in Cardiff," Jack replied.

"I'm sorry," John sighed and Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not so bad here, I get to meet a lot of interesting people."

"Hmmm, that is why I travel," John smiled at him. "But as soon as I return to London, I have been offered a job by UNIT."

"Then you'll read all about me. I know they have files and files of them." Worry crossed John's face and he looked nervously towards the exit. Jack could tell he was judging how far it was from where he sat.

"I work for Torchwood." Jack explained before he had a chance to make a run for it, and John slowly nodded his understanding. He finished off his drink quickly and Jack motioned for the bartender to bring over two more.

"What are you going to be doing for UNIT?" Jack asked casually.

"I haven't been informed yet, not until I go in. I really want to go into their science department though." John told him.

"You don't want to work for UNIT, you don't like guns." Jack insisted as he took another drink.

"How do you know I don't like guns?" John asked him as he eyed Jack skeptically.

"The way your hand shook when you said you were going to work for UNIT, indicates you don't like guns." Jack replied thinking quickly. Luckily for him John laughed.

"You're like Sherlock! What else can you tell me about myself?" John asked and Jack almost choked to hear the flirtiness in his voice. He tried to remind himself that it was John and not The Doctor who was flirting with him. That did nothing to ease the swelling in his pants and he reached down and casually adjusted himself.

"I bet you're a dreamer, who looks at the stars and thinks of what could be out there." Jack took a chance and rested his hand on John's thigh. "I could show you. Come work for me in Torchwood. You could be our scientific adviser and you wouldn't have to use a gun."

"You're offering me a job?" John sounded surprised.

"I can tell you're a good guy John." Jack removed his hand and placed it back on the bar. "Meet me at the Cardiff information booth at seven hundred sharp tomorrow if you're interested." Jack stood and paid for his and John's drinks before hurrying out of the bar. He leaned against the outside wall of the bar as the conversation replayed in his head. From it he had come to two conclusions. Either the Doctor was one hell of a liar, or some strange man named John looked a hell of a lot like the Doctor. Jack was curious of which one it was but the Doctor flirting with him, despite his aching back and legs, he could have danced for joy. He turned and hurried down the street towards the information booth.

The original hub had been destroyed when a bomb had been placed inside of his stomach, not one of his more pleasant deaths. It had taken him and Gwen years of running before they were able to set up a new hub along the rift. Since then Martha and Mickey had also joined Torchwood to take the place of the missing team members. He still hadn't gotten around to hiring anyone else though these last few days had proven they need help.

He hurried through the main entrance in to the Cardiff Information Center. He had debated whether or not to even have it after Ianto's death, but once the main building was done, it just felt wrong not to. The Welshman had always taken pride in the booth so Jack made sure that it was kept clean and stocked in his honor. He walked past the main counter and down the short hallway to the secret door into the hub. This hubs main focal point was again the rift manipulator with its computers but seemed more office like. It reminded him a little of Torchwood one, with its white walls and clean straight walls. He doubted though that they would allow two of their employees to be having sex on the conference room table. He shook his head, he contemplated going to offer them a hand but instead he turned away from Martha and Mickey as he headed to his office. They could have their fun and he would tell them about the strange appearance of the Doctor in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

_He stood in the middle of the street on a snowy night. In front of him stood a woman slightly shorter with her blonde hair up in a ponytail. She was looking at him with a mixture of fear and hate, for he had just done something he had swore he never would. He had just changed a fix point in time._

_"For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner. That's who I am. The Time Lord Victorious." He explained to her, still feeling smug with himself. _

_"And there's no one to stop you?" Adelaide had asked him. _

_"No."_

_"This is wrong, Doctor. I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong." Adelaide told him sternly. He didn't like the way she was looking at him._

_"That's for me to decide. Now, you'd better get home." He looked towards here home. "Oh, it's all locked up. You've been away. Still, that's easy." Pulling out his sonic, he quickly switched the settings and then unlocked her front door. "All yours."_

_"Is there nothing you can't do?" Adelaide asked him._

_"Not anymore," He replied. He watched her walk up to her home, before turning around and heading back to his TARDIS. The sound of a gun shot soon filled the air._

John awoke with a start. He ran his hands down his face as the visions of his dream quickly drifted away. Rolling over he looked at the alarm on the nightstand of the small hotel room he was staying in. The time read 5:45 am. It was still early enough that he could make it to the information center by seven. He sat up and got out of bed. He grabbed his pair of black jeans from where he had discarded them the night before, and a clean shirt from his luggage. He hadn't planned on staying in Cardiff more then a few days, but he was intrigued with the prospect of working for Torchwood. He decided to give it a shot, at worse he could still head up to London to work for UNIT. At least he would get to see the Captain again.

With his mind made up and a smile on his face, he headed towards the shower to get ready.

-DW-

Jack didn't sleep at all that night as he wondered if the Doctor would take him up on his offer. No, this was John who was going to be working for him, he reminded himself. The Doctor would never work for Torchwood, not after what happened at Torchwood one. At just after five in the morning, he picked up his phone and sent a group message to the others to be at the hub ASAP. He knew they would be upset with him for calling them in before their workday started at eight. Not wanting to be completely heartless he went and made coffee for everyone.

Mickey and Martha strolled in first, about a half an hour later. Neither one of them looked as though they had much sleep and Jack knew part of the reason why.

"It's too early," Martha complained as she sat down at the conference table and pulled her sweater tighter around her. Mickey took the seat next to Martha and sat their two coffees on the table before placing his hand on her leg.

"If you hadn't been up to extra curricular activities, maybe you wouldn't be so tired," Jack smiled at her. "I hope you at least washed the table." Martha blushed and looked down as an ashamed look crossed her face and she nodded. Mickey was unabashed by the conversation and just squeezed her leg comfortingly as he continued to stare at Jack. a few minutes later Gwen walked in. She didn't look happy either but she looked more awake.

"Rhys says next time you want me here at bloody five in the morning, you better well forget about it," she informed Jack. She accepted a cup of coffee and then sat at the far end of the table.

"Is it the weevils again?" Mickey asked once Jack took his seat.

"No, the weevils can wait until later in the day," Jack answered.

"Then why in the bloody hell have you called us here," Gwen snipped.

"The Doctor may be coming to work for us today." Jack informed them.

"We haven't seen the Doctor in years and I can't imagine him working. Let alone for Torchwood. Why now?" Mickey wondered and Martha nodded her agreement.

"I don't know. I ran into him last night and he is going by the name John and didn't seem to know who I was." Jack didn't add the fact the Doctor had flirted with him.

"Did he use the Chameleon Arch again?" Martha inquired. Jack shrugged, "Was he carrying around a fob watch?"

"Not that I saw."

"What is the Chameleon Arch?" Gwen spoke up.

"It is a device on the TARDIS that lets the Doctor become human. Last time he used it was to hide from a group of aliens called the Family." Martha explained.

"The Family were a nasty bunch, it's no wonder he hid from them." Jack said.

"He wasn't hiding because he was afraid of them Jack, he later told me he hid because he was afraid of what he would do to them. If he is hiding again then we have to watch him. The last time he made me promise I wouldn't let him hurt anyone or let him eat a pear."

"Is he allergic?" Jack asked in concern.

"No, he just hates them and has some sort of vendetta against pears. I brought a pear one time aboard the TARDIS and he refused to talk to me for a week," Martha grumbled and Jack laughed.

"I'll remember that. Now he will be here at seven. I expect all of you to act like you don't know him. I don't want to scare him off the minute he walks through the door, because if he really is in hiding, we have to help him." Jack told them and made sure to look each one in the eye briefly.

"And whatever you do, don't ask about the watch," Martha added. "He'll remember it when it's time."

-DW-

Jack paced anxiously inside of the information center. At just before seven, his heart leapt with joy as he saw John sauntering slowly across the plaza. He stopped his pacing and tried to casually lean on the counter. Failing that he hurried over to the chair behind the counter and sat down, trying to calm his beating heart. It was beating so fast and hard he thought for sure it would come right out of his chest.

At seven on the dot, the door opened and John walked in. "Was this some sort of trick to get me alone?" He asked as he looked around the information center.

"Would I have to trick you?" Jack wondered as he came around the counter and looked John over. John had decided to wear a black polo shirt with his black jeans. A pair of converse finished off the ensemble. John blushed and Jack was pleasantly surprised to see that the Doctor could blush. Again he scolded himself. This was John, who had no knowledge of who the Doctor was.

"Follow me," Jack said finally after a moment of awkward silence. He led John down the hallway and to the secret door that led into the hub. "Welcome to Torchwood."


	3. Chapter 3

"This is Torchwood," John barked his laughter as Jack opened the door. Jack looked over at him and saw that his eyes were shining with amusement.

"What did you expect?" Jack asked him.

"I don't know, but not this," John admitted as he followed Jack across the room to the computers. Mickey looked up from where he was monitoring the rift with Gwen. Gwen on the other hand, didn't react and Jack noticed she was asleep. He cleared his throat and motioned to Mickey. Mickey, rather then being delicate, set off the rift alarm. Gwen shot up tipping her chair back and Mickey began to laugh loudly. John eyed Jack as Jack looked at him apologetically.

"Normally it isn't like this." Jack explained and John nodded slowly as Martha came into the room.

"I heard an alarm." She stated.

"It was Mickey," Jack pointed to where Mickey was doubled over in his chair, clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath from laughing. Martha tutted and shook her head as Gwen smacked Mickey.

"Everybody, this is John. He is going to be working with us as a scientific adviser and also helping me with the artifacts that come through the rift. John, this is Martha, she is our doctor. That jokester and soon to be unemployed person is Mickey and he is technical support as well as field operator and Gwen is our police lesion as well as field operator as well."

"Do you go in the field," John asked looking at Jack.

"Yes. Martha tends to stay here but sometimes she goes in the field as well." Jack answered.

"You said I wouldn't have to use a gun," John accused Jack.

"You won't. I don't need another hand in the field. As well as scientific adviser, I need someone to be able to relay information and track artifacts while we are out." Jack quickly explained.

"Sounds like you need more people then me to help." John told him as he wondered what he was getting himself into.

"You're right, but I am slowly replacing the team with people I can trust.

"You just meet me."

"Then don't give me a reason not to trust you." Jack replied and John shuddered at his tone. "Let me give you the tour."

The hub itself besides the rift room, Jack's office and the conference room wasn't very big. He had made sure the new hub still had cells as well as a morgue. There was a small kitchen with a room off to the side containing two bunk beds for when they worked long hours. He took him around the rest of the hub before taking him to the autopsy room. He was glad he had listened to Martha when she requested a side lab for medical research. John took it all in and seemed slightly disappointed.

"We are just getting reestablished here. Our original hub was destroyed a few years back and it has taken us awhile to get it rebuilt. If there is anything you want or need for the lab you can put in a request and I would be happy to fulfill it." Jack explained.

"I appreciate the offer Jack, but I think it would be better if I sought employment with UNIT." John said as he turned towards him.

"At UNIT you will have to answer and explain all of your experiments, you carry out. You will also have a boss to answer too. Here I will let you have free range of your lab. You will be the boss and will only need to answer to me." Jack tried to bribe him.

"Can I think about it?" John questioned.

"Take all the time you need." In normal circumstances this is when he would take a potential employee out to the bar and slip them retcon. He didn't know how the Doctor would react to it, besides that he didn't want the Doctor to forget. As he turned to go Martha came rushing in carrying a tray of blood samples they had taken from the weevils.

"John, would you mind helping me. I need to analyze these blood samples." Martha asked as she set the tray down.

"John was.." Jack begun.

"I'd be happy to, if that's all right." He interrupted Jack as he picked up a vial of slightly off colored blood. It was obvious the blood wasn't human and it intrigued him.

"Fine. I'll be in my office if you need me." Jack looked at Martha and she winked at him. He smiled. If Martha could convenience John to stay, he was going to have to give her a raise.

-DW-

"What kind of blood is this?" John asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Weevil. They have been on the move more lately and we are running test to see if there is something affecting them." Martha answered. John rolled his eyes. He could believe a lot, but weevils weren't real. They were as real as giant alligators in the sewers. He had only stayed out of curiosity but this settled it, in the morning he would be heading back to London.

"Weevils are just a made up creature." He explained calmly to Martha.

"Weevils are real Do.. John. They have been coming out more and feeding and we need to find out why before a disaster happens that we can't cover." Martha set down the vial she had just finished separating into another tube. She labeled it and put it on the second tray that was going into the centrifuge. She took off her gloves and left the lab for a moment, returning a few minutes later with a picture.

"That is a weevil." She said as she held up the picture for John.

"That is a man in a costume." John argued as he glanced at before returning to his work. Martha chuckled to herself. Even as John, the Doctor's stubbornness and need to be right had remained in place. She smiled to herself as she thought about offering John a pear. She set the picture down out of the way and pulled on a new pair of gloves.

"Jack use to have a pet weevil named Janet, we no longer do or I would take you to go see her. I assure you though John, we aren't lying to you. Weevils are real."

"You really believe that, don't you." John looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"I do and if you stick around, you will too."


	4. Chapter 4

Martha and John worked the morning away. It was mostly in silence as Martha tried to make small talk but John was to busy working to pay attention. Together they ran test after test on the weevil blood but all the test were coming back negative. There was no drugs, diseases, parasites or anything else that would tell them why the weevils were feeding more. Martha wasn't willing to just say that it was a change in habit because it was a drastic change.

"Were going to need more blood." Martha decided as she pulled off her gloves and threw them in the bin. She pulled out the data for the latest test and swore under her breath before crumpling the paper and throwing it in to the recycling bin. They had set all the other paper copies to the side to file at a later time and John lifted an eyebrow at her in amusement. "What," She snipped.

"Bad news?" He asked sounding as amused as he looked. He reached into the bin and pulled the paper out. He smoothed it out the best he could and then laid it on the stack with the others.

"That was the last vial of blood and I just ruled out all possible known diseases." Martha said irritably. John leaned over and rubbed her arm gently.

"You'll figure it out, Martha." He said softly as he continued the slow motion of his hand. Martha found herself staring into his brown eyes. She had always wondered what it would be like to kiss him and now was her chance to find out. She leaned over and pressed her lips chastely against his. His eyes widened in surprise but instead of pulling away he kissed her back. He opened his mouth slightly and she reciprocated. She pulled away suddenly breaking the kiss and moved away from him.

"I'm married," She stated at the same time as he said. "I'm sorry."

Martha hurried out of the lab and into the autopsy room breathing hard. She placed both hands on to the bed in the middle of the room and leaned over it as she tried to catch her breath. She had no idea what had come over her as she looked in his eyes and it was almost as an after thought that she remembered Mickey.

"How's it going?" Jack asked as he came into the room. Martha jumped as Jack startled her from her thoughts and quickly tried to compose herself.

"Badly. All the test I ran came back negative and I am out of blood to test." Martha stated.

"Well you're in luck. The weevils are on the move again and I need you and John to run back up." Jack replied as he looked her over in concern.

"I think you should take John with you." Martha responded.

"I promised him that I would not make him use a gun."

"I'm not saying to give him a gun Jack, but he needs to see a weevil for himself. At this moment he doesn't believe us and if you don't give him a reason to, he is going to leave." Martha informed Jack. She didn't add that she didn't trust herself to be alone with John.

"John," Jack called out as he didn't take his eyes off of Martha. John rushed into the room with his head hung, looking guilty.

"Sir?" He asked nervously. He knew it was wrong for him to kiss Martha and even though he wanted to leave he waited for Jack to chastise him before sending him on his way. In all fairness though, she initiated the kiss and he wasn't going to take the blame. He kicked himself mentally for his stupidity. He should have never trusted Jack and should have just headed up to London to work for UNIT as planned.

"Get ready, I am taking you out in the field." Jack said. John opened and closed his mouth several times, he was ready to defend himself for the kiss and Jack caught him off guard.

"You said I wouldn't have to go in the field." He responded as he finally found his voice again.

"I'm not giving you a gun, John. I am taking you to collect weevil blood for Martha so you two can finish your test."

"Weevils are a myth," John rolled his eyes.

"Then prove me wrong. Come with me and tell me what the hell we are dealing with, if they aren't weevils." Jack turned and headed towards the hub exit. He stood leaning against the door, wondering if John would take the bait. He knew the Doctor was curious and had got himself into more trouble from his curiosity then anything else. Sure enough a few moments later John slunk out of the autopsy room and over to Jack.

"You have one hour, before I head back to my hotel room and then on to London." John stated as he stood in front of Jack.

"And if I'm right, in two hours, you owe me dinner." Jack flirted. John didn't reply as he went straight out the door and over to Jack's SUV. He climbed in the passenger side and crossed his arms as he waited for Jack. A few minutes later Jack came out of the hub with Mickey and Gwen in tow. The three of them got into the SUV and Jack handed John a cell phone as well as an earpiece.

"You're going to need these. One rule in the field, if I give an order you follow it. You don't like the order fine, you can argue me afterwards, but I am not having people die or be injured because you ignore me. Is that understood?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir," John replied sarcastically. Jack let it go for now, if John stuck around her would reprimand him if it happened again, Doctor or not. He started the engine.

"You might want to buckle up." Jack said with humor in his voice as he peeled out of the parking spot and sped towards where the weevils were located. He watched out of the corner of his eye in amusement as John hurried up and buckled himself in. He turned on the blue lights and pushed the SUV to go faster.

"Any reason you are trying to kill us," John asked shakily.

"We have to hurry and get the weevils under control before they hurt somebody," Jack responded as he swerved around several cars and almost caused an accident. John looked into the back seat and could see Mickey typing away on his laptop, not bothered by Jack reckless driving.

"You get use to it," Gwen tried to reassure him. He nodded slowly not trusting his voice as his heart was in his throat. John silently prayed to whatever was out there, that they made it to their destination alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Somehow, beyond John's understanding, they made it to their destination alive. His knuckles were white from gripping the door and he flexed his fingers as Jack pulled into a parking spot in front of a small field that was lined in trees.

"Put your earpiece in," Jack told him as he turned to look at John. "I want you to stay here and I will come and get you when it is safe. Under no circumstances are you to follow us before that. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," John answered as he put his ear piece in. For some reason he couldn't explain, the piece made him uncomfortable. He reached up and took it out as he got a flash of the metal men he had dreamed about the other night. He examined it as Jack watched him.

"Is there a problem?" Jack asked.

"No," John replied softly as he replaced it.

"Mickey and Gwen head to the right and I'll take the left." Jack ordered as he slid out of the SUV. Gwen patted John's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, before she went with Mickey.

"Great," John said to himself as he watched them disappear into the trees. He took in his surroundings, if he left now he could be on a bus back to London in a few hours. He looked at his watch and saw that only a half an hour had passed since they had left the hub. He had given Jack a full hour. He placed his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. Needing air, he opened the SUV door and stepped out. Closing it behind him, he leaned against the door and took a deep calming breath and waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only about twenty minutes, Jack came strolling back across the field towards him. As he got closer John saw two strange creatures exit the trees and start to make a beeline for Jack.

"Behind you," John called out and Jack started to turn around, pulling his gun out in the process. As the creatures got closer John realized that they were the weevils from the picture. He still wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't a prank until they lunged for Jack. Jack fired and hit one in the arm but it didn't stop it.

"Jack," John yelled as the two weevils knocked Jack down. He heard Jack scream and the scream turn into a gurgling noise as one latched on to Jack's neck. John didn't even think about what he was doing as he ran to Jack. He grabbed for the gun in Jack's hand and one of the weevils turned and bit firmly on to his arm. He cried out in pain and reflexively tried to pull away but the weevil held on tight. He managed to grab the gun with his other hand and hit the weevil with the butt of the gun. The weevil didn't let go but bit down harder causing him to cry out again. Cocking the gun he placed it against the weevil's temple and pulled the trigger. The weevil released his grip as he feel dead to the ground. With a shaking hand he then turned the gun on the one clamped down still on Jack's neck. He placed a second bullet through its head and it fell on Jack. He pushed it off of Jack in disgust.

Jack was no longer breathing, but John wasn't about to let the weevil eat him. He shot a third weevil as it rushed over with two more following it. The other two fell as gunshots rang out from behind them and he was relieved to see Mickey and Gwen. He threw the gun to the side. He hated guns and hated the fact he just had to use one.

"He's dead," He stammered as he took Jack's wrist in his good hand and failed to get a pulse.

"He'll be fine," She tried to reassure John. He looked up at her with confused eyes as she took his arm and wrapped a handkerchief around it, applying pressure. John hissed and tried to pull away but Gwen held his arm tightly.

"We need to get him back to Martha," She informed Mickey.

"What about Jack, we can't just leave him here." John said feeling faint now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off. His arm was burning and he swallowed hard to keep from getting sick.

"Mickey will take care of him," Gwen said softly. Nodding, he ran a hand through Jack's hair. He stood with Gwen and started to head back to the SUV when he heard a deep gasp behind him. He turned quickly around to see Jack sitting up.

"You were dead," John declared. He proceed to wrench his arm away from Gwen and took off running. He had enough of Torchwood and weevils. He just wanted to go back to his hotel room where he was safe.

"Shit," Jack said. "Mickey go get him." Mickey took off running after John but John didn't make it far before he bent over and was sick. Mickey easily caught up to him. He was at a loss of what to do though. He couldn't treat this man, who thought they were strangers, as a friend.

"John, you are losing a lot of blood. We need to get you back to Martha so she can take care of you." Mickey advised him as he slowly approached.

"I'll go to a hospital," John replied. He stood up straight and Mickey rushed forward as John's eyes rolled back in his head and caught him, before he hit the ground.

"Is he okay?" Jack called out as he ran over.

"He fainted." Mickey responded.

"Get him in the SUV now," Jack said as he ran to open the door. They placed John across the back seat. "Gwen, keep an eye on him a moment, Mickey with me." He went around to the back and opened the trunk of the SUV. With Mickey's help they loaded the bodies of the five dead weevils into the trunk and then closed it. He gave Mickey the keys to drive as he climbed into the back with John and supported his head.

"They stink," Gwen gasped and as soon as the SUV engine was started, she rolled down all the windows to let fresh air in.

"Gun it, blue lights. I want us back at the hub quickly." Jack informed Mickey. Mickey followed his instructions and rushed towards the hub. Jack saw the blood seeping through the handkerchief around John's arm and lifted it to examine it. He was still bleeding profusely. Jack struggled for a moment to get his belt off and then wrapped it above the wound as a tourniquet.

"Here." He looked up from his work as Gwen handed him a clean bandage from their kit in the front seat. He removed the handkerchief and sucked air through his teeth when he saw the damage done to John's arm. At the very least John was going to need surgery to repair the damage. "I'm sorry Doc," Jack whispered. He placed the clean bandage around the wound and held it firmly in place as he lifted John's arm above his heart.

"Ow," John whimpered as he started to come back around. The first thing he comprehended was the searing pain in his arm. He opened his eyes and saw the trees flying across the window and could feel the SUV moving under him. The sensations were making him sick and he closed his eyes tightly again.

"It's all right John, we're getting you to help. You just have to hang on." Jack said.

"You were dead." John whispered.

"I know and now I am not. I promise to explain it better later, but right now I need you to relax. You've lost a lot of blood and the last thing we need is for your heart rate to go up." Jack said soothingly. Gwen reached back and took John's good hand and squeezed it reassuringly. John gave her a brief smile that faded quickly as he cried out in pain again.

"Can't you go any faster," Jack called up to Mickey.

"I'm going as fast as I can Jack. We'll be there in ten, fifteen at the most."

"Make it ten," Jack demanded. "Gwen call ahead to Martha and let her know John's been injured and we will be there shortly."

"Hospital," John whimpered.

"I'm sorry but we can't take you to a hospital, John. I know it is hard but you have to trust me. I promise we are only doing what is best for you." They reached the hub and Martha was waiting out front for them. She ran over to the SUV and pulled the backdoor open as soon as it had stopped. She looked at the blood covering both Jack and John.

"What happened?" She asked as Jack eased himself out of the SUV. Still holding John's arm tightly.

"We got ambushed and John got bit. On the plus side I have five weevil corpses for you to autopsy and test." Jack informed her. "Gwen, Mickey take the corpses down to the morgue and get them into cold storage."

"I'll take his arm, you help him stand." Martha said to Jack. She took over holding the bandage in place as Jack eased him out of the SUV. His legs gave out and he cried out as Martha's grip shifted. Jack scooped John up into his arms and carried him through to the autopsy room.

"Lay him on the bed," Martha instructed. Jack laid him down and took back over holding the bandage in place as Martha went to wash up. She pulled on a clean pair of gloves and then made her way back. Taking John's arm again. Jack left the room to get cleaned up, as she peeled the bandage back slowly. It was wet with the blood and didn't stick, but thankfully the bleeding had slowed down. The bite wounds were deep and several looked torn from where John had tried to wrench his arm away.

"I am going to clean your arm and then x-ray it for any damage to the bones. If there is no damage, then it looks as though I can stitch these." Martha informed John.

"I think he needs surgery." Jack spoke up as he came back into the room.

"I want to avoid that, if at all possible Jack," She raised her eyebrows at him and mouthed "Doctor," he nodded as John looked at them curiously. She had never performed surgery on the Time Lord and though he was human now, she still wasn't sure what she could safely give him. She would never forgive herself if she accidentally killed the Doctor while he was in human form. Thankfully she did have anesthetic she had used before to numb him for stitches. It was one that was made on Earth about thirty years in the future and therefore safe for both humans and Time Lords.

"Now John, we will have to watch the bite closely for any signs of infection, so I am going to ask that you stay in Cardiff for a few extra days. That way I can keep an eye on your wounds." Martha informed him as she removed the tourniquet from his arm.

"Why can't I just go to a hospital?" John groaned as he watched her.

"Because they are unequipped to deal with weevil bites." Martha answered quickly. "I can though." She stood and went over to the cupboard and pulled out the medication and a syringe. He gripped the blanket tightly with his free hand and made a fist with his other as Martha gave him several shots around the wound to numb the area. Jack went around to the other side of the bed and offered John his hand. John let go of the blanket and gripped Jack's hand instead.

Martha cleaned the wound. She then set the X-ray and took several scans of his arm. Looking at the scans, she was happy to see that though the wounds were deep, there was no damage to the bone. She sat down again and with skilled hands stitched his arm. She placed a bandage over the stitches in his arm and then wrapped another bandage around his arm to hold it in place. As she worked Jack tried to distract John by talking to him and keeping his attention away from Martha working.

"We can go to dinner another night," Jack flirted. John rolled his eyes at Jack.

"One dinner," He agreed.

"Done," Martha said. As she released his arm, laying it carefully across his chest. She went to the cupboard and got a sling out. "I want you to wear this for the next few days and absolutely no using that arm." She helped him place the sling around his neck and get his arm into it. Once she had it positioned and he was comfortable she pulled Jack to the side.

"I want him to stay at the hub tonight, under observation. That table though is not comfortable to rest on, so can you help him up to the bunk beds?" Martha asked.

"Will do," Jack said. He reached out and gave her a small hug. "Come on John, you're in no condition to drive, so you can stay here for the night." He helped John to his feet and then supported him up the employee break room. John laid back on one of the beds exhausted and Jack helped him to cover up.

"You promised to tell me how you are still alive." John said sleepily.

"I will, another time. Just rest now." Jack replied and John closed his eyes and was soon out.


	6. Chapter 6

He sent the TARDIS up into time vortex before he fell to his knees. He didn't want to die. He still had a lot of living left to do, things he hadn't tasted, places he hadn't seen. Not with these eyes anyways. He had changed time though and disgraced a beautiful woman's legacy. He didn't feel as though he deserved to live. He shakily climbed to his feet and reset the coordinates on the TARDIS. Screw the Ood, who were they to judge him. So he did as he had always done, and ran.

The TARDIS landed a short time later and turned the monitor to him as it alerted him. He stared at it in disbelief. The planet had over 10 billion inhabitants and every single one of them was dead. Worried about a plague he started to reset the coordinates but the information on the monitor caught his attention again. There was not one single cause of death. He verified that it was safe for him to leave the TARDIS before strolling out. The deaths had all been fairly recent and he covered his mouth and nose from the offending smells. Looking around confused him even more. There were people laying dead on the sidewalk and sitting dead on benches.

He walked over to a man sitting against the brick wall. He had no visible markings on him. The Doctor pulled his sonic out and scanned him. As he read the readings, they revealed the man was malnourished and dehydrated. He scanned others that weren't visibly injured and received the same results back. Rubbing the back of his neck, he turned to the others. The others weren't as lucky. Some had gotten off easy with cuts and bruises. Others had missing limbs and were laying in pulls of blood. One poor soul was barely recognizable, having been beaten past recognition.

He kept walking. The deaths were consistent with the first group, until he passed a small cafe. He was glad he had a strong stomach as he saw vomit and blood everywhere. The people inside the cafe had gorged themselves on the food and kept eating long after their stomachs were full. He had seen enough, turning away he headed quickly back to the TARDIS, avoiding bodies as he went. He hit the hand break on the TARDIS and sent her to another part of the planet. Landing again and again, he exited and saw the same deaths played out in every place.

At the last place he landed he turned to head back onto the TARDIS when he heard a soft laughter. Confused he turned and headed towards the sound. A man stood at the end of the street staring at him. He watched as the man walked towards him, stepping on the bodies as though he couldn't see them.

"Hello," The Doctor said trying to sound friendly. In reality this man frightened him as something about him seemed off. That and the TARDIS hadn't picked him up on her sensors. The man looked normal enough though. He was wearing a black suit and had a long black trench coat on.

"Do you need help?" The Doctor asked as the man kept coming closer. The man didn't answer as he continued heading straight for him. As he got nearer the Doctor felt his blood go colder. The man was alive, but there was no possible way he should have been. His black suit hid the blood that drenched it. He took his hand out of his pocket and with bloody white bones he pointed at the Doctor.

"Doctor," The man rasped.

-DW-

John awoke with a start as there was a stabbing hot pain in his arm. He grabbed it as he bit back the cry of pain. He opened his eyes and for a moment he couldn't remember where he was. Then the event's came flooding back to him. He remembered getting bit and he remembered being in the medi-bay but after that it was a little hazy. Sitting up slowly he looked around and found he was by himself. He tried to remember if Martha had given him pain medication for his arm. Standing up he made his way slowly out of the room. He was relieved to see Martha sitting in the small kitchen off the break room. She had a book open and was drinking a cup of tea. She looked over the book as he approached.

"You don't look so good John." She commented as she stood and went around the table to pull out a chair for him. He sat down with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick and my arm burns," he complained.

"Let's get you down to the autopsy room so I can examine it. Just wait here while I go and get Jack to help." She told him. She went to the door of the room, not wanting to leave John alone and called out. "Jack, can you come in here please?"

"Be right there," Jack called back and Martha returned to John's side. John sucked in his breath and held it as another stabbing sensation shot through his arm.

"Don't hold your breath, John." Martha knelt down in front of him. "Come on breathe out through your mouth and then in through your nose." Martha coached as John's body tensed with the pain. John let his breath out in one quick sigh and then drew another quick small breath in. "John, listen to me. Breathing like that and tensing isn't going to help your pain. I will give you pain medication as soon as we get to the autopsy room but right now you need to calm down. So follow my lead please." John let his breath out quickly again and then sniffed the air in. Jack came rushing into the room as John finally got his breathing under control.

"Yes, Martha." Jack asked as he approached cautiously.

"I need to get John the autopsy room. I was hoping you could give him a hand." Martha stated.

"He might not want you in the room for that." Jack responded cheekily and John blushed. Jack reached out and took John's good elbow, supporting him as he got to his feet. Letting go, he walked near John to catch him if necessary, but John was steady enough on his own. The three of them went into the room and John climbed up on the bed as Jack stood by his side.

"Let's have a look." Martha pulled on a pair of gloves before taking, John's arm and gently took off the outer bandages. She was worried about the under ones sticking to the stitches and carefully began to pull them back. As she did so though she swore in her head. John's arm was bright red and inflamed around the bite. The bandages were wet with both blood and secretions from the infected skin.

"It's bad, isn't it," John moaned.

"You're arm is all ready showing signs of infection. We need to get you on an antibiotic immediately. I am going to give you a shot of pain killers first and then take samples of the infection." Martha explained. She went over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a syringe and the same drugs she had used the night before. Filling the syringe to a dosage suitable for humans, she cleaned a place on his arm and injected it.

"We will give that a moment to kick in and then I am going to take several swabs of the wound." Martha explained. She went and pulled out four cotton swabs. Swabbing different points on his arm she dropped them into different plastic tubes and closed the lids. She labeled each one with where on his arm the test had come from before setting them aside to be tested. She bandaged his arm again and placed it back in the sling. Martha then went to the cupboard and pulled out an IV and the antibiotic.

"Do you prefer the IV to be in your hand or do you want it a little higher?" She asked as she took his good arm in her hand.

"Higher," He replied and she cleaned a spot a little up above his wrist. Inserting the needle she found his vein and taped it in place. She hung the saline on the IV stand and then injected the antibiotic into the canola on his arm.

"I know this bed isn't the most comfortable place, but I need you to try and rest while we get the antibiotics into your system. I am going to the lab to test the infection. Meanwhile Jack is going to sit with you and keep you company. Any questions?"

"No," John sighed as he tried to relax against the bed.

"Do you want me to grab you a couple of pillows and a blanket?" Jack offered and John nodded. "It's going to be all right." Jack tried to reassure him before leaving the room to retrieve the items. John watched him go. He had come to Torchwood not even a day ago to try to get a job and now here he was laid up in bed, with an IV in his arm and stuck. He kicked himself mentally for trusting Jack in the first place.


	7. Chapter 7

"Here you are John," Jack announced as he returned to the room with Mickey in tow. "I brought you a few pillows, a blanket, a good cup of tea and some books to tide you over."

"Thanks," John replied miserably. Jack and Mickey exchanged looks. Mickey set the tea and the books down on the cabinet off to the side and then headed into the lab to find Martha. He couldn't stop thinking about their escapades on the conference table last night and was hoping to christen the lab as well.

"I'm sorry your not feeling well John, is there anything I can do to make it better?" Jack asked in concern.

"No," John smiled weakly as he sat up a little. Jack took two of the pillows and placed them behind him before covering John with the blanket. He left the third pillow he had brought on the floor by the bed in case it was needed later. He then retrieved the tea off of the cabinet and handed it to John. John took one sip and then rested it on top of the blanket.

"I know this isn't what you were expecting when you came to work for me, but I swear not every day is like this." Jack explained as he grabbed the chair by the bed and turned it so he was facing John.

"You also promised I wouldn't have to go into the field or use a gun and look how that turned out." John snipped at him.

"That was a miscalculation on my part and I am sorry." Jack reached out and placed his hand on John's. He waited a moment and when John didn't pull away, he gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Unfortunately that doesn't change the fact, you are going to have to remain in Cardiff. If you give me your hotel room information, I will send Gwen to retrieve your belongings and you can stay here at the hub."

"I'm not going to work for you. As soon as Martha releases me, I am heading to London to work for UNIT." John retorted finally pulling his hand away from Jacks.

"Fair enough." Jack said. He mentally kicked himself. He had screwed up majorly. The Doctor had trusted them to protect him and all Jack had done was to get the man injured and then drive him away. It was no wonder the Doctor didn't want him around. A loud moan, brought Jack back to the present and he looked at John in concern.

"That wasn't me," John smirked and Jack shook his head as he remembered Mickey had joined Martha in the lab.

"Keep it down," Jack called out loudly.

"Sorry," Martha yelled back. John lifted one eyebrow as he looked at Jack.

"You're not going to stop them." He asked curiously.

"No." John shook his head as Jack placed his hand on thigh. "If you want when your feeling better, you could join them," Jack whispered seductively and John shuddered slightly. His heart sped up and his mouth suddenly when dry. He drank the rest of his tea in one quick swallow and then started to cough. The moment was gone as Jack jumped up and took the cup out of his hands.

"Easy," Jack said. John coughed as his throat burned and he gagged on the tea he swallowed. Jack grabbed a bucket and held it as Martha rushed out of the lab. The buttons on her shirt were done in the wrong order and she was wearing Mickey's pants.

"What happened?" She asked as she pulled out her stethoscope.

"He drank his tea too fast and started to choke on it." Jack explained.

"Help him to sit up more Jack," Martha said and Jack carefully eased John up as he continued to cough. After another minute the coughing subsided and he started to slump backwards.

"Stay sitting up for a moment, I just want to listen to your lungs." Martha put the stethoscope buds in her ears and placed it on his chest. "Take a deep breath for me and hold it. Good, now exhale. Again nice deep breath." Martha instructed and John followed. "Your airways sound clear. Next time I advise you take smaller drinks."

John leaned back against the pillow and Martha checked the IV to make sure it hadn't come loose with his sudden movements. Pleased everything was still in place, she retreated back to the lab to trade pants with Mickey.

"Tell me how you are still alive?"

"I didn't die out there. I was only playing dead so that the weevils would leave me alone." Jack tried.

"You were dead. I took your pulse and saw the hole they tore in your neck, which is gone. I'm not stupid Jack and I would appreciate it if you didn't lie to me." John looked Jack in the eye and Jack saw the Doctor peering out at him for just a moment.

"I can't die. Due to circumstances I am not going into, I don't stay dead."

"Right," John drew the word out. "How long have you known this?"

"Since 1892. I got shot at Elise Island through the heart. I woke up later inside the morgue." Jack explained.

"So your also over 100 years old..."

"I'm a lot older then that." Jack didn't elaborate. The years that he spent buried still gave him nightmares and tight spaces made him claustrophobic. He could clearly see the doubt in John's eyes and knew John though he was lying again.

"I'm going to get more rest now," John said after a moment, he settled down and closed his eyes. He wasn't planning on sleeping but the exhaustion rolled over him and soon enough he was asleep.

-DW-

"How do you know my name?" The Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic and pointed it at the man. He scanned him quickly and then scanned him a second time. The results were the same, according to the sonic, the man standing in front of him didn't exist. He wasn't hallucinating though. He could feel no drugs in his system, that would cause the man to be there. He changed the settings and scanned a third time. Still the results were negative. The man stopped a few feet in front of him and took in a deep breath. He smacked his lips and hummed happily.

"Oh, so full of anger and pride. Such a delicious combination." The man took another deep breath. The Doctor mentally called out to the TARDIS and she hummed back at him, letting him know she was near. He started to slowly back up, keeping his sonic pointed. As he placed his foot down in another step, he inadvertently stepped on one of the many bodies littering the ground. He quickly lifted his foot but still stumbled and tried to catch himself from falling. His arm was grabbed to steady him and he turned his head slowly to see the man standing next to him, their faces mere inches from each other. The man slowly licked his lips as he took in another deep breath through his nose.

The Doctor pulled away and ran to the TARDIS, the man right on his heels. He snapped his fingers, hoping she would respond, and was relieved when the door opened. He rushed inside and slammed the door behind him. Still feeling uneasy he threw the switch on the console as well making sure the door was completely locked before turning the monitor to face him. The man continued to stand out side of the door looking at the TARDIS.

"I've seen enough," The Doctor declared to the TARDIS and sent her quickly up into the vortex and away from the strange man. He set her controls to random and piloted the ship. It didn't matter where they went as long as he was away from the man. He landed the Time Ship and started to head towards the doors. The TARDIS hummed at him and the monitors beeped.

"Oh what now?" He exclaimed as he headed back to the monitor. "Why did you bring me here," He stammered as the monitor show the Ood home sphere. He quickly released the hand break and sent her back into the vortex. As the TARDIS dematerialized for a moment he thought he saw the man smiling at him from the snow.


	8. Chapter 8

The more the Doctor tried to run, the stronger the oods call was. He was past the point of exhaustion, falling asleep on his feet only to be woken up from the dream of ood Sigma calling to was even to the point where it was affecting the TARDIS. He was unable to set her controls to random anymore. Every time he did so he found them in the ood sphere and he wasn't about to go there. Not yet but it was getting harder and harder to resist. Half asleep, he set the controls and hit the hand break. Lazily he went through the familiar motions of driving the TARDIS. As he passed the monitor and saw the destination, he panicked. In his lethargic state, he had set the coordinates to the one place he was trying to avoid.

Quickly he moved the TARDIS out of the Time Vortex and then set her to orbit a small moon. He rubbed the back of his neck and that is when it hit him. He couldn't go to his death, if he wasn't the Doctor. The Doctor had to die, but what about John Smith? With renewed energy, he ran down the corridor into his bedroom and dug a spare fob watch out of his desk. He ran back to the control room. He tried to decide where to go.

Last time Martha had looked after him for all those months and he couldn't ask that again. Besides last he heard she worked for UNIT and she wouldn't have time. He quickly ran through all the friends he had and then made up his mind to go to Jack. He knew Jack would watch over him and not ask questions. Knowing Jack though, he would come looking for the TARDIS and so he also decided to leave him a brief explanation. Before he could change his mind, he quickly set the coordinates for Cardiff. Making sure to check them twice. He landed the TARDIS with ease in the back of an alleyway. He placed her almost all on stand by power, all except for the chameleon arch. Sitting down in front of the monitor, he recorded a short message.

He pulled the arch down and the TARDIS hummed sadly at him. He gently caressed her console one last time. "It's not forever Old Girl." He reassured her before he placed the helmet on his head. Pain filled his body and he began to scream.

-DW-

Jack stayed by John's side, until his breathing evened out. He gently fixed the blanket around him, before heading up to his office to get paperwork done. The paperwork was necessary but he hated having to file it and let it build up. He knew that Martha was the same way. As he looked at the growing pile on his desk, he made up his mind. He was going to find a secretary who would take care of the filing and hopefully also be able to make coffee and run errands. His heart ached a little and he couldn't help but think of Ianto. For a moment he could picture him standing in the office, whistling happily as he filed the paperwork. Pushing the thought away, as his eyes filled with tears, he turned to the paperwork again.

It was a welcome distraction when a few hours later, Gwen came into the office, without knocking. "Jack, I just got off the phone with Andy. He was called to a home earlier today to do a welfare check on a family of six that hadn't been seen for awhile. When he got to the house, he found the whole family still in their beds all near death."

"Poisoning?" Jack wondered.

"No, when the hospital examined them, all of them were malnourished, dehydrated and close to death, but initial toxicology reports have come back clean. The hospital and police are stumped." Gwen went on.

"And there are no reports of an artifact landing in that area?" Jack asked and Gwen shook her head.

"No, I double checked with Mickey and there have been no reports in the last week of any rift activity in that area. It just appears that they have stopped having the will to live." Gwen explained to Jack.

"That's bizarre." Jack whistled through his teeth.

"Yeah." Gwen agreed.

"Still I want you to go into the archives and search for any news that this has happened before." Jack ordered and Gwen left the office. He had just picked up his pen again when Martha called his name. He threw it down as he rushed out of his office and to the autopsy room. One look in and he knew why she was calling.

When he had left John, he was fine. Now his was shivering and sweating as he moaned in his sleep. Martha had his arm in one hand and was quickly removing the bandages in the other. As she pulled back the bandages they both swore. John's arm had grown worse. Now instead of being slightly red, it was bright and inflamed. The bandages were soaked due to the infection.

"What can I do to help him?" Jack asked Martha.

"For starters I need a better bed for him. Preferably a hospital bed. I also need more bandages, IV's that are saline and a few medications and I need them as soon as possible." Martha said.

"Make me a list and I will get right on it," Jack reassure her. She wrapped John's arm loosely to keep the wound clean. Quickly she scribbled a list down, handed it Jack and then turned back to his arm. Jack took the list and was heading out of the room when Martha called out his name again.

"Yes," Jack stopped and turned towards her.

"It would also help, if you could find the TARDIS. I may have to perform surgery after all and I need to know how to treat him if I do." Martha stated.

"I will get Mickey to contact Sarah Jane. Mister Smith should still have the base codes for the TARDIS and be able to locate where on Earth the Doctor parked her. Hopefully it is near by." Jack explained and rushed out of the room.

"Mickey," He called out.

"On it boss," Mickey called back. He all ready had the cell to his ear, having over heard the conversation from where he sat by the rift computer.

"When she finds it, I want you to head over to the TARDIS and find out how we can help the Doctor," Jack informed him and Mickey saluted him with two fingers. Jack then turned and ran out of the room down to the archive room. Gwen was sitting at the computer working and she looked up as Jack entered.

"I need you to go through the Doctor's belongs he has here. I want you to find out where he is staying and then go to the hotel and clear out his room. Bring everything back here. Do not forget to bring the fob watch. He may not have it in his belongings that are packed, but do not leave the room without it. We may need it soon then expected." Jack informed her.

"What about the family?" She asked as she stood up and followed Jack out of the room.

"Worry about them later. Right now we need to save him." Jack responded. Jack headed out to his SUV and climbed in. He drove to a small store and picked up bandages while he argued with their normal medical supplier about getting a rush order on the medications and IV's Martha needed. He then found a bed that would work for Martha's needs. It wasn't a hospital bed but it had a movable frame that allowed them to lift his head or feet. They couldn't deliver it right at that moment, so he agreed to drive and pick it up.

He returned to the hub with both items in tow. Mickey and Gwen were both gone and he unloaded the bed and pushed it down to the autopsy room. "Martha I'm going to need your help." He called out and she came out of the room, looking frazzled. She helped him to maneuver the bed into the room and then together the carefully transferred John to the new bed.

He moaned a little at the transfer but otherwise didn't wake up or react. Martha frowned. "I gave him a stronger antibiotic and have cleaned the wound and changed the bandages again. His arm has stayed the same in the time you were gone and I am hoping the stronger antibiotic works. If not I will have to operate. He has also been fitful and I am hoping the new bed will allow him to rest easier.

"I will take the old one out in a moment." Jack commented

"Leave it, just move it off to the side and out of the way. If I have to operate I want to use that bed, since it is higher." Martha responded and Jack pushed the bed back against the wall and out of the way. Martha took a cool cloth and placed it on John's forehead.

"Any word from Mickey or Gwen." Jack asked.

"Mickey headed out to find the TARDIS. Last I heard Sarah Jane narrowed it down to the east side of Cardiff but was still working on an exact location. Gwen and I found his key to the hotel and she took off to clean his room out as you requested." Martha responded. "All we can do now is wait."


	9. Chapter 9

Jack was sitting worriedly beside John's bed. His breathing sounded labored but he was still getting enough oxygen. Martha was keeping a close eye on his breathing, in case it changed but right now thankfully, it wasn't a major concern. His arm though was another matter. The bite was getting worse and quickly.

"I've never seen an infection spread so rapidly," She informed Jack as she removed the wet soiled bandages and replaced them with clean ones. "Is there something in his biology that we aren't aware of that makes him more vulnerable to infection from bites?"

"I don't know," Jack replied. He couldn't just sit around and do nothing though. He changed out the wash cloth on John's head for a fresh cool one. John moaned slightly and he brushed his sweat drenched hair back. Still feeling useless, he pulled out his cell and rang Mickey first. Mickey didn't answer until almost the fifth ring. "Where the hell are you?" He snipped impatiently.

"Sorry boss. I found the TARDIS and I have arranged for an old mechanic friend of mine to help me to bring her back to the hub. We should be there in about twenty minutes." Mickey responded.

"John can't see her. That could trigger his memory early." Jack informed Mickey impatiently

"There is an almost empty store room off of the morgue we can keep her in." Mickey replied without hesitation.

"I knew I kept you around for a reason." Jack smiled as he realized Mickey was right. They would have to shift a few boxes around but there would be enough room. They were of course going to have to retcon Mickey's friend after, but he would take care of that. "See you soon."

"Oh boss, the TARDIS made it very clear that whatever you do, don't operate on John." Mickey stated quickly.

"Did she say why?" Jack asked in concern.

"She couldn't but she shocked me several times to make sure I got the message."

"I will check it out when you get here." Jack hung up the phone this time and then immediately called Gwen.

"I am just about done cleaning out his room Jack," Gwen answered getting straight to the point. "I have found the watch. You were right it wasn't with his belongings but by the window out of the way."

"Good work Gwen, what ever you do don't open the watch, though we may need it sooner then expected."

"I'm not dumb Jack," She sighed.

"I know. When do you expect to be back?" Jack wondered.

"If you don't need me back right away, I want to swing by the station and talk to Andy about the family. See if there is anything they missed." Gwen responded.

"Keep me informed." Jack hung up and turned back to watching John. It was strange watching the heart monitor and it only registering one heart. In fact all of the readings were normal for a human who was ill and that concerned Jack even more. Were they wrong about John being the Doctor. They couldn't be, they had the watch and the TARDIS, Jack decided. Still it was hard to see the Doctor so sick and be helpless.

He was lost in his train of thought when he heard Mickey call out from the main room. He stood up and hurried out to see Mickey and a strange man trying to maneuver a Police Box using a hand truck. Jack laughed at them amazed they had gotten it so far. Still he went to give them a hand and the three of them managed to move her into the store room. They were all out of breath by the time the job was done.

"Thank you for all your help," Jack shook the mans hand before turning to his employee. "Mickey, why don't you take your friend up for a glass of water," Jack commented, raising his eye brows at Mickey. Mickey nodded and headed out of the room. Jack pulled his key out from his pocket, where he had kept it ever since he had first met the Doctor and Rose. Placing the key in the lock, he entered the dimly lit room and the TARDIS hummed sadly at him.

"What did he do to you old girl," Jack asked softly as he ran his hand along the base of her door. Heading up the ramp he went to the console and restored her back to full power. He didn't know how to drive her without the Doctor's help but there was a few tricks he picked up during his travels. The TARDIS hummed at him happily. He passed by the monitor and saw that a red light was flashing. He reached out and hit the button for it and the monitor turned on with an image of the Doctor sitting there.

"Jack," The Doctor started. "My life is in danger and there was no other choice but to become human again. Don't let me do anything stupid, like eat a pair or hurt another human being. And I am sorry Jack, but I can't become the Doctor again, so whatever you do, don't open the watch. Hide it away and just forget about it. Thank you."

Jack watched the short video several times. The Doctor in it was scared and looked half mad. It was a far cry from the man that he thought he knew. The video also explained nothing, he still didn't understand why the Doctor had gone into hiding. What was he running from that he thought his life was in danger enough to hide away forever? Jack wished he knew so that he could help the Doctor feel safe again. The TARDIS hummed impatiently at him and he rubbed her console.

"Ow," He cried out and pulled away when she shocked him. He looked at the screen again and rather then the video being there, it was filled with information. He cursed as he read it. The Doctor in his attempt to hide, had rushed the chameleon arch and had compromised his immune system. That is why the infection was spreading so quickly. It was also why Martha couldn't operate. If she did have to operate, the TARDIS was insistent that John was returned to being the Doctor first, regardless of his wishes. The screen changed and he saw a list of medications Martha would need that would help John to fight the infection. He ran to the medi-bay to get them.

-DW-

Martha was running through the Doctor's vitals when Jack entered the room. He had several medications in his hands and another IV. "The TARDIS gave me some medication for him. She also wants him to have this IV, but leave the other one up, so he will have two going into his system." Jack began to explain.

"What is it," Martha questioned as she hung up the new bag.

"A mixture of vitamins and nutrients his body needs. Apparently he rushed the change to become human and compromised his immune system. She said that will give his body a boost that it needs. Also these are better medications for fighting infections and she would prefer you use them." Jack handed her the two vials. "He should receive this one first, through the IV and then this one has to be given into the muscle. She also says that if you do end up having to operate, we are going to have to wake him up first."

"I've all ready given him two different antibiotics," Martha replied in concern as she inserted another needle beneath John's skin and started the IV.

"She knows but she insist that he needs these as well." Jack answered back. Martha nodded and then read the vials. She had never heard of either of these medications and guessed they were from the future. She got the doses from Jack and drew up the first one, inserting it into the canola. The second one could wait for awhile.

"Did you find out why he is in hiding?" She asked as she worked.

"No, all he said is he can't become the Doctor again. I will do more research later and find out why he thinks that." Jack replied determinedly. "I want to help him. He looked so scared in the video he made." Jack didn't add that he also looked like he was losing his mind. That is something they would have to address if they were ever able to bring the Doctor back. For now though, it looked as if John were here to stay and Jack didn't know how he felt about that.


	10. Chapter 10

Gwen returned to the hub before heading home for the night. She dropped off John's luggage into the break room and took the watch down to Jack. As Jack took the watch into his hand, he heard the Doctor hissing at him from inside. "Hide me," the watch begged him and he slipped it into his trouser pocket.

"Did you find anything else out about the family?" Jack asked as he stepped out of the autopsy room.

"Nothing unusual, but I did find out that they aren't the first family to be found in Cardiff near death. There have been two others in the last week. The first two families were found before it progressed as far but they are still refusing to eat or drink on their own. All of them are currently being treated at the same hospital." Gwen informed Jack.

"How many in each family?" Jack wondered.

"Three in the first one found and only two in the second."

"So eleven people infected all together and no trace of a reason why. Did you get the locations?" Jack questioned.

"Yes, and none of them lived anywhere by each other."

"Leave the information you gathered by the rift computer and I will get Mickey on it as soon as he gets back. Have a good night Gwen." He stepped closer to her as he spoke.

"Jack, with your permission I would like to go search the houses and see if I can find anything the police missed."

"Denied. I don't want you near them until we figure out what's causing this. Now go home Gwen and I expect you back here at eight am sharp tomorrow." Leaning forward he pressed his lips against Gwens, kissing her deeply. She returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around him pulling him close. He broke the kiss with a small peck on her lips and then turned to head back to the autopsy room to sit with John. It was only as he entered the room, that he thought about the kiss. He hadn't wanted to kiss Gwen like that in years, yet the kiss felt natural. Putting it down to stress and worry about John, he pushed it from his mind.

When Mickey got back to the hub, he verified that Mickey's friend had been retconned before giving him the folder that Gwen left behind and setting him to work. He was hoping that Mickey would be able to find something that tied these three families together and gave them a time line of when it started. He had hoped with the first family that it was an isolated incident but with two others found that hope had been dashed. Now it was a question of how many other people out there had been infected and how many would die before they were found. He felt guilty as he silently wished that they would find a disease that was causing the people just to give up, so he could turn it over to the local police and not have to worry about it.

It was another two hours after Mickey's return, before Martha finally gave John the second medication from the TARDIS. She was as gentle as she could be as she inserted the needle in to the muscle of his upper thigh, but still he moaned and swatted at her in his sleep. Jack grabbed his hand and held it tightly in his own. He rubbed his thumb back and forth on the top of John's hand as he comforted him. John continued to moan the entire time Martha gave him the injection and only went quiet once she had removed the needle. They were still unsure how aware he was but the prick from the needle going in had obviously penetrated his sleep.

"I'm sorry that hurt John, but it's all done now." She comforted him as she fixed the blanket. "Are you going to wake up properly now." He kept his eyes closed and she leaned in and kissed him softly on the head. "All right, just rest for now."

He didn't wake up or react to them again that night and thankfully around morning, his fever finally broke. Martha checked his arm often to keep the bandages clean and dry and was relieved to see that it was beginning to look better. It would still be awhile before it was completely healed and the infection was gone, but she was no longer worried about the infection killing him. She checked both of the IV's and just busied herself with checking him over, even though she had just performed the same checks not to long ago.

She was about half way through them, when she noticed that his eyes were open and he was watching her. She stopped.

"How are you feeling, John," She asked keeping her voice professional. Her hand on the other hand had a mind of its own and she was rubbing up his thigh and along the side of his groin before going back down again. He had to have noticed but he didn't comment.

"Sick," he moaned.

"Can you be a little more specific?" She asked as Jack cleared his throat. She looked at him and he nodded towards her hand. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly pulled away and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"My arm hurts, my head hurts, my stomach is sour and I feel sticky." He offered.

"Your arm is badly infected. I have you on a couple different antibiotics and it is looking better today then it has been. As for your head I can get you some medication for it but you also should try to eat something. That will more then likely help your stomach as well as your head." Martha responded calmly. She walked over to the sink and got him a damp cloth to wipe his face with and hopefully feel a little cleaner. "Now what do you want to eat?"

"I don't know," He whimpered as his head pounded. He thought for sure his brain was trying to dig it's way out of his skull and escape.

"How about a nice pear," Martha suggested, just to see his reaction and sure enough John make a face of pure disgust. "No, okay then I will get you a couple pieces of toast and a cup of tea. If you can keep those down we will try something heavier later."

"All right," He agreed and watched her leave the room. After she was gone he turned to look at Jack. "Do you normally sit by your employee's beside?"

"When they are sick and I have the time, yes. I care about my employees John. I have know Mickey for a long time now. Martha and I have been through a lot together and Gwen has stayed by my side and gone beyond what I ask of an employee." Jack stated.

"Still trying to get me to work here?" John raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"I can't force you to stay. I know you want to work for UNIT and I can't blame you on that. We use to have all the space, equipment, and employees that UNIT had but when that Torchwood was destroyed, I rebuilt it. This building we are in now is the second time I have rebuilt Torchwood and if it gets destroyed, I will rebuild again. I know you are disappointed in what you found here and you got hurt on your first mission. I still think if you actually give it a shot here, you could be happy." Jack felt himself practically begging the Doctor to stay. He closed his eyes a moment, no it was John who wanted to leave, the Doctor was the one who had programmed the TARDIS to find him. If John left, he didn't know if he could live with the fact that he failed what very well may be the Doctor's last wish.

"How long am I going to be here?" He asked over Jack's shoulder as Martha returned with his breakfast.

"At least until the infection has cleared. I would like you to stay until we remove the stitches but any doctor can do that." Martha told him. He took a small sip of the tea and felt the hot liquid run down his throat and settle warmly in his stomach. He picked up a piece of the dry toast and took a bite, chewing it slowly. He had a few experiments he wanted to run. Since he was going to be stuck here anyways, he might as well get started.

"I am not making a commitment, but until Martha releases me, I will work for you. But if I don't like what I see, I am leaving as soon as I can." He stated.

"Sounds fair."

"You will have to be on light duties, until your arm is healed. I still don't want you using it." Martha declared.

"I won't." John promised. He took another bite of the toast and found that it was helping his queasy stomach. His head was still pounding and he couldn't think straight. That was probably the only reason he was agreeing to work for Jack after all that happened.


	11. Chapter 11

John managed to eat half of a piece of toast before pushing the rest aside. It had helped his stomach a little bit but his head was still pounding and his arm ached. Martha drew up another syringe of pain killers and injected it into the canola.

"There now, that will help with the pain. I don't want you to work at all today, I just want you to rest. I will be back in a little while to make sure you are. Understand?" She asked and he nodded weakly at her. "Jack, I have set the system to alert me if needed. I am going to start the autopsies now."

"All right," Jack agreed and Martha hurried out of the room. She leaned against the wall outside the door and caught her breath. She needed to be a doctor to John, but she kept thinking how easy it would be to take him into her mouth and... She pushed the thought aside. She was with Mickey and the two of them had a very active sex life. Why she suddenly wanted the Doctor again, she wasn't sure but she wasn't going to do anything to ruin her marriage. Feeling a little bit steadier now that she was out of the room with him, she headed down to the morgue to start the autopsy.

Meanwhile Jack sat with John. He pulled out a notepad and even though John wasn't suppose to be working, he began to make a list of the supplies that were needed. Some he knew they had at Torchwood and others he could get off the TARDIS or go to the store later. As they talked, he noticed that John was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"I am going to go place orders for the items that you need and get caught up on paperwork. Is there anything that you need right now, before I go?" Jack asked John, giving him an out. John smiled at Jack gratefully.

"No," He replied as he settled back on the bed and pulled the blanket up. It was still hard to get completely comfortable with a sling on one arm and two IV's in the other. He was also positive that he had a catheter but he didn't want to lift the blankets and see it. His body still had a general ache but the pain medication Martha had given him felt nice. He barely registered Jack kissing him softly on the head before he was out.

Jack stood and watched John sleep for a few minutes. He pulled the watch out of his pocket and was tempted to open it and bring the Doctor back. The watch though was still crying out in his hand to be hidden. He took the watch up to his office and opened the small safe in the wall. He placed the watch inside and closed the door. Later he was going to go back to the TARDIS and see if he could find a more conclusive reason why the Doctor had gone into hiding. He felt a desperate need to know why. A part of him knew that once the Doctor was back the flirting would end, but he hoped that it would continue and he wouldn't feel so damn guilty about it. He wanted to bend John over the nearest table and have his way with him. It was only the thought of the Doctor waking up and remembering it and being upset with Jack that kept him from following through.

He had made himself hard again. He reached down and fixed himself. He needed a distraction. Picking up the notepad, he began to type in the items into the system. Every item in the lab was logged and he easily figured out which items he still needed. He looked at his watch. It was still early in the day and he was bored. He looked at the stack of paperwork that was waiting for him. He quickly decided that he would rather kiss Mickey. Standing up, he made his way to the TARDIS.

"He's doing better, thank you," He told her as he stepped inside and she hummed at him happily. He went to the console and began to hit buttons. He watched the video on the monitor again, looking for any indication of how long ago it was recorded. Of course he couldn't find one. Time changed aboard the TARDIS depending on where it was and who the Doctor was with. She kept the lights in 24 hour cycles when the Doctor had humans aboard and she only dimmed them for him when he asked or he passed out, when he was by himself. Jack looked through the flight records and found that the TARDIS had landed on Earth one week ago.

That was about the same time the weevil behavior started to change. Jack wondered if there was a tie between the two. He wished he could ask the Doctor about it. The Doctor would know, or be able to figure it out easily. "Why not ask John," He thought to himself and mentally kicked himself for how easy a solution that was. John was a different man but it was also obvious that he was intelligent. He pulled out his cell and sent a group text for a meeting in two hours. Hopefully he would be able to find a connection without having to bug John.

-DW-

The small team sat around the conference table for the meeting.

"First things first, how is John doing?" Jack asked Martha.

"He is in stable condition. His arm is still badly infected but the antibiotics the TARDIS gave us are helping him. He was asleep when I left him and hopefully he will continue to sleep and recover." Martha answered

"How are the autopsies going?"

"I autopsied two of the Weevils. So far I haven't been able to find anything conclusive about the changes in their recent behavior. It is almost as though they are just hungry, which was also evidenced by their stomach contents. I found mice, leaves and berries, which go against their normal eating habits." Martha advised the group.

"So nothing to much to worry about." Mickey concluded.

"Normally I would agree with you but with the three families recently starving themselves, I find it unlikely that the two are not tied together somehow." Martha answered

"I agree." Jack leaned forward. "Has there been any other unusual activity in Cardiff in the last few days?"

"Small crimes are on the rise." Gwen looked at her notes. "A woman stabbed her husband because he came home late. A man pushed a fellow employee down the stairs for getting the raise he wanted. Another man broke into a couples home to steal their dog."

"That's nothing unusual," Jack scoffed.

"But all three people were described by friends and family as being mild mannered. They were acting out of character, just like the weevils and the families who are starving themselves." Gwen insisted. Jack almost brushed her off, but Gwen's instincts had been right in the past.

"I want you to look into it. Keep an eye out for anybody else acting unusual and follow up with the families. Martha, I want the autopsy on the last three weevils done and I want you to run the blood work again to make sure nothing was missed. Mickey go back through the rift data for the last 6 months and cross reference it with the artifacts retrieved. I want to be sure we didn't miss anything." Jack ordered and they all nodded. "We will meet back here at 1700 tomorrow and I expect updates from you all. Dismissed."


	12. Chapter 12

Around 6pm Jack tried to send everyone home for the night. The projects they were working on, was more a filler until something important came through the rift or until the weevils started acting up again. He didn't actually expect them to finish everything by tomorrow, he just wanted an update to let him know the projects were being worked. Gwen left readily enough and Mickey agreed to leave. It was Martha who was reluctant.

"What if John needs something during the night," She insisted.

"Then I can tend to him or call you." Jack answered back. "All he should need tonight though is to have his IVs changed over and his arm cleaned. I can do both easily."

"Can I at least examine him before I go?" She asked in one final effort to stay.

"You have a half an hour. Any more then that I am going to get Mickey to throw you over his shoulder and drag you out, if I have to." Jack threatened. He knew by allowing her to check on John before she left, would reassure her he was doing better and allow her to rest. If he tried to stop her, she would worry all night and not sleep. He watched her disappear into the autopsy room.

When a half hour passed he went in to get her. She had changed out John's IVs, cleaned his arm, examined him, removed the catheter and was discussing with John about getting on his feet. John turned to Jack and looked a little embarrassed as he mouthed "Help me." Jack chuckled.

"Okay Martha, time is up. Time to leave poor John her alone." Jack said coming over.

"I'm just about finished." She commented as she fixed the blanket and took her gloves off, before turning to John. "I saw that by the way and I can put the catheter back in if you really want me too." John shook his head quickly. "All right, you can get out of your bed to use the bathroom and take a shower later if you would like. Just make sure you keep your arm covered. I don't want it getting wet and irritating the infection. It is okay to rely on Jack to help you, understand."

"Yes ma'am." Martha made notations on his chart, so she was aware of what she had done and the last time he had received medication. "Jack, his arm needs to be cleaned still every two to three hours. Make sure you keep an eye out for any new redness or sores that indicate the infection is getting worse again. You know how to change the IVs and other then that, he should be fine until morning."

"Can I eat?" John asked her.

"If you are hungry. Just no heavy meals yet, not until we are sure it will stay down. Okay?" He nodded meekly and then breathed a loud sigh of relief once she left, making Jack chuckle.

"So what would you like to eat?" Jack asked. "How about a hamburger with all the fixings and a side of chips.

"Just toast." John replied as he felt his stomach flip.

"I can get you a hot bowl of soup to go along with the toast, if you want," Jack offered.

"All right," John agreed. Jack left to go get the two of them food and a drink. When he returned not even twenty minutes later, John was almost asleep again.

"You can eat later if you want to." Jack offered and John shook his head no. Jack set the food down and helped John to raise the back and sit up some before placing the tray with soup and tea in front of him.

"Are you from America, Jack," John asked as he stirred the soup around, not really eating.

"No. Would you believe I am actually from a place called the Boeshane Peninsula in the 51st century?" Jack answered cheekily.

"Then why are you here?" John wondered.

"I joined a organization called the Time Agency as soon as I was old enough. I was given this device, which is called a vortex manipulator." He held up his wrist band." It allows me to travel through time. So, I stayed with them for awhile before going rouge and working as a con man. I met a wonderful man at that time who changed my life, literally. He ended up leaving me in the future and I used my manipulator to try to get back here to find out why. I ended up overshooting my destination and landing in the 1800's."

Jack kept his answers as vague,so that he hopefully wouldn't trigger the Doctor's memory. He still didn't want to lie to John though, he always had trouble lying to the Doctor after they met properly.

"So you're over 200 years old." John raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am actually over 2000 years old, but I am not going into that." Jack watched him take a small bite of soup. He made a face and then went back to stirring it. "If you don't like it, I can get you something else."

"It's fine, I'm just not that hungry. What about your family?"

"My father died during an attack on the village we lived in and that time they took my little brother. It was just my mom and me after that and she died before I joined the agency."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. Where did you grow up?" Jack asked curiously as he dismissed John's apology.

"Gallifrey," John answered absentmindedly. "My mum and dad also died when I was young. I had my older brother for awhile but he passed away too. I have been traveling on my own ever since."

"We're a lot alike then." Jack smiled weakly.

"My parents didn't pass in an attack though. They just sat down on the couch one day and didn't get up again." Jack felt his blood running cold. "My brother a few years later, started eating large amounts and didn't stop until he killed himself."

"Did the doctors figure out why?" Jack asked as calmly as he could.

"No," John's eyes were drifting closed again and his dinner was forgotten. Jack moved the tray.

"Get some sleep and I will be back in a little while to check on you." Jack took the tray and rushed out of the room and dropped it on the table before running to the TARDIS. What happened to the 'Doctor's parents' was too similar to what was happening now, for it to be a coincidence. He wanted to open the watch and ask the Doctor directly about it, but the Doctor had left them clues to follow. He was a genius after all and at this moment, Jack didn't know whether he wanted to kiss him or kill him.


End file.
